(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the general technical field of the mooring of an aircraft and more particularly a helicopter on a boat deck or on the ground.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
While mooring an aircraft, which has to be done fast in order to allow a secured landing and mooring even in bad weather conditions on a ship deck, there might be a risk of contact between the aircraft and the means used to maintain under tension the aircraft on the deck (like mooring chains or similar textile straps). Moreover the mooring point on an aircraft has to be easily accessible and the means used to attach the HC (helicopter) on the ground shall limit as less as possible the door opening or the accessibility of any component of the aircraft.
This invention applies to different types of aircrafts but in particular to helicopters or to any other aircrafts.
It is known for mooring an aircraft, to use an anchoring point which is a ring, or an element with a similar form, just screwed in the frame structure of the fuselage of the aircraft. One or more of such anchoring points can be found on some aircrafts. Such a ring is very close to the structure so that in some cases, the mooring chains can damage the structure when they are under tension. These chains can also in some cases limit the opening of the door. The known metallic rings are also sensitive to deformation strengths. When this existing mooring device is in place, the door of the aircraft can not be opened in some cases. Deporting such a ring or such an attachment point, like a hook in case of use of textile straps, away from the frame structure would lead to high efforts generated on the frame structure and in consequence to a high risk of deformation.
It is also known to use a device based on ground equipment for mooring an aircraft on a deck or on the ground. This device deports, with the help of one or more arms comprising on the free end of each arm, a mooring ring. The mooring rings constitute so anchoring points, deported from the frame structure of the aircraft. With using such ground equipment, the efforts are safely transmitted with regard to structural parts of the helicopter.
This ground equipment is very heavy and is not flyable. It is also ergonomically unpractical since it takes at least one minute to install it on the aircraft which is unacceptable for a use on a ship deck in case of heavy weather. It needs too much time and material to be installed.
The document U.S. Pat. No. 3,640,490 A discloses means for transporting a landed helicopter on the deck of a ship at sea. A probe on the helicopter is grasped in a trap device mounted on a turntable provided on the deck of the ship. A dolly device is then moved into position and the helicopter clamped to it. The dolly device is guided by suitable rails so that, once the helicopter is clamped to it and unclamped from the trap device, the helicopter under full restraint can be moved along the deck to a parking space.
The document GB 1159323 A discloses a device for anchoring a body, e.g. a helicopter to a flight deck having T-slots, comprising a tube extending from the body housing a set of dogs, a pin movable along the tube to spread the dogs to a fastening position and a retaining device, e.g. a ring, to retain the dogs in a non-fastening position, and being movable, e.g. upwards by striking the flight deck shown in broken lines, to release the dogs to allow them to be spread by the pin.
The document WO 9104910 A1 discloses a securing device, for example for securing an aircraft to the deck of a ship with a pair of jaws arranged to engage a fixed member on the ship. Normally, the jaws are locked open by means of a detent, but when the member hits a striker plate, this plate moves from a detent position to an open position in which, on operation of a locking plunger the jaws may be closed. The entire mechanism is connected to a ram which is arranged to retract when the jaws are locked in position, so pulling the aircraft firmly down onto the deck of the ship. The control circuit for operating the lock includes a pressure regulator arranged to lower the entire system pressure, and therefore the impact load on the deck, as the ram is being extended. In addition, when it is desired to uncouple the lock from the deck, there are means for putting the ram into compression just prior to uncoupling, so that the tensile securing loads are substantially cancelled.